How many times have you gone to bed Sunday night thinking “I wish I didn’t have work tomorrow”. Meanwhile, you imagine ridiculous scenarios that would cancel work even though you know they have about a .0001% chance of happening.

We’ve all been there, but I’m glad to say that I usually head to work on Mondays with a happy grin and a can-do attitude. Not only do I enjoy what I do, but I go into an office environment that supports friendliness and optimism.

Unfortunately, I know that not everyone is able to have the same work atmosphere as I do. However, if you’re a manager or a leader of your business, you have the power to change your office culture and make your employees happier.

You can create a culture that’ll change the way your employees think of “work”. Instead of dreading Mondays, they’ll start looking forward to them. You’d be surprised how your actions can determine the mood of your employees, even if it’s just a simple act of kindness.

Increase your workplace morale with these 5 methods:

1) Meet with Employees Regularly

Whether it’s a monthly lunch meeting or a bi-weekly breakfast get-together, you should meet your employees on a regular basis. It’s a great way for your team to review the overall vision and value of your organization to ensure that everyone is working on the same goals. Also, it can give your employees a chance to get to know you as a person. Establishing trust with your employees is crucial when it comes to employee happiness. The more they trust you, the more they’ll enjoy working for you and committing to their job.

2) Recognize Team’s Accomplishments

Along with the regular lunch-in meetings, you should have meetings to celebrate company accomplishments. It’s an excellent way to portray your appreciation to your hard-working employees. Show them that the company is nothing without the work of each individual, and how they were able to achieve something magnificent by working together. Share the good news and help them realize their importance within the company, and watch as they become more motivated to work for you.

3) Encourage Bad News

You need to take the bad with the good. Not all news will be rainbows and sunshine. There will be times where discouraging results will occur. How should you handle these situations? The same way you would if your company sold itself for a billion dollars to Google. You share it. Embrace the bad news with open arms and a smile. Then tell your employees about it, so you can all find a way to fix the issue. Show your employees that dissappointing performances are forgiveable as long as you can learn from the experience. Then your employees will be more willing to admit to mistakes and setbacks as a long as it isn’t consistently repeated.

4) Keep Communications Open in Hierarchy

Just because you make a bigger pay check, doesn’t mean you are better than your employees. Keep the line of communication open between you and your workers. This way, you can listen to the concerns of your employees to understand what they value and what the main issues are in the workplace. It also gives them a voice and shows that you care about their opinions and suggestions. Hence, your employees will realize that you are actively trying to create a workplace focusing on their needs and well-beings.

5) Do Something Spontaneous

Spontaneity can be a fantastic tool to develop employee and workplace happiness. A simple “good morning” can change the attitudes of your employees, especially if you’re running a large company with thousands of workers. You can even take it a step further by doing something special and genuine for your employees. If you own multiple businesses, go to each one and start a conversation with every employee you meet. If you’re a small business owner, you can bring in breakfast for everyone and just set aside 20 minutes to converse about their lives outside of the workplace. These simple tasks can make a huge difference in employee satisfaction and office culture.

Now that you know what it takes to improve your employees’ morale, it’s time for you to start committing to these actions. Employee happiness may arguably be one of the most important aspects to any business. If the employees don’t want to work for you, then you can expect lazy performances and higher turnover rates. That being said, if you’re able to make your employee’s happy, then you can expect better productivity, more loyalty, and a stronger sense of community. It’s time for you to change the Monday stereotype and make it into the new Friday.